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PHLster TuckStrut

As the proprietor and sole life form over at PHLster, I was asked to give a brief rundown on a piece of holster hardware I’ve developed and mass produced. As various mechanisms for increasing concealment and decreasing printing via rotating the grip of the pistol into the body have gained popularity, as in-molded features of the holster or as accessory components, I’ve had the opportunity to experiment with a number of these approaches and ultimately designed a component which met my needs for several of our products at PHLster, but wound up being broadly compatible with a range of existing popular holsters currently in use.

The TuckStrut is a tuckable holster strut with a short, integrated grip-tucking wing. It’s injection molded here in the USA and is substantially reinforced against warping, bending, and fracture. It’s stiff enough to resist the kind of strut deformation which contributes to a holster coming out over the belt during a gun-grab or grapple. The short wing is also reinforced against warping or bending from exposure to belt tension and pressure. Durability was a primary concern and we only managed to break a single first-draft 3D printed unit during testing. Subsequent revisions and all production TuckStruts are currently at 100% survivability, although, in fairness, they’re still relatively young.

A unique feature of the TuckStrut is that it’s fully ambidextrous. The component is symmetrical along its horizontal axis, meaning that inverting it (and swapping the hardware) changes the orientation from right to left handed. Slotted attachment points at both ends provide a high degree of ride-height adjustability as well as compatibility with a number of standard holster hole spacing patterns. When used in combination with the slotted riser spacer we had made for the strut, it will fit a holster, regardless of the trigger-guard shape (as it’s not made to fit any specific gun shape or profile). As you can see from the picture, it’s intended to be attached ahead of the trigger guard. The holster will need two holes in that location, otherwise the hardware will rotate and not be secure. Also, if you’re installing it on a holster with a gap between the halves for adjustable retention, you may benefit from using a shorter riser, as our slotted riser will be too tall for that application, as this was designed with PHLster products in mind and they all have fixed retention.

A common question I field is, “How does it compare, in terms of concealment, to the RCS hardware?” In my experience, it reduces printing about 80-90% as well as the large wing available on the VG2. The tradeoff is, and your mileage may vary, an improved firing grip as I have to compete with less of my fleshy midsection to complete my grip during the draw. The overall effect is somewhere between a JM or Keepers where the standoff molding over the face of the holster in the trigger guard area creates some grip rotation and a full sized wing attachment like on the RCS Eidolon or VG2.